Ore or sand concentrator.



IPATENTED JULY 30, 1907.

No. 861,787. .F. WIS WELL.

ORE 0R SAND GON-GENTRATOR. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 10, 1905. RENEWED JAN.12, 1907.

ll 10 A i J! 1 fl, i- 1/ 5-1' 0 I Z O 1 i w 1 i/z fnesseajnren for:

THE NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTDN. v. c.

UNITED STATE SEATENT FFIGE.

FREDERICK A. WISWELL, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR TO WISWELLMILLING MACHINERY AND MINING COMPANY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

ORE OR SAND CONCENTRATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1907.

Application filed October 10, 1906, Serial No. 282,188. Renewed January12. 1907. Serial No. 352,054.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. WIsWELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and Stateof Utah, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ore or SandConcentrators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for separating and saving the morevaluable parts of pulverized ore or from gravel or sand, with theassistance of water.

Heretofore tables slightly inclined and adapted to carry a thin layer ofwater and pulp, with or without a moving apron and with or withoutlateral movement or vibration have been used, some of these forms oftables provided with fixed riffles, other forms having riflles attachedto or forming part of a moving endless apron, in all of which formsdependence is had for the separation of the lighter particles of theore, gravel or sand upon the rapidity with which the thin layer of wateris made to move on the pulverized ore, sand or gravel, in some machinesthe ore material being agitated by short sharp jerks of the table in thedirection of its inclination, in others by rapid vibratory movement in adirection at right angles to its inclination, in which case the thinlayer of water, by its rapidity of movement over the ore materialcarries away the lighter particles to waste. The shape ofthe particles,however, has much to do with effective separation by such a surfacecurrent of water, angular particles such as are the product of ordinarypulverizers, behaving quite different from water worn particles such asare found in placer sands.

By my invention the shape of a particle of ore has but little to do witheffective separation because the main dependence is had on thedifference in the specific gravity between the mineral bearing particlesand that of the barren particles.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, theview being a vertical, longitudinal section of my invention. I

My invention consists of a frame A supporting a tank 13 having aninclined bottom 7c of sufficient flexibility to permit of vibration in adirection at right angles to its plane of inclination, a plate Zbeingsecured to the under side of the said bottom It to which plate Z ispivoted to the upper end of a toggle joint 9', j, the middle joint ofwhich is pivoted to a connecting rod 9, the other end of which isconnected with an eccentric 10 that is mounted on a shaft 80 which isjournaled in bearings secured to the frame A of the machine, the saidshaft 80 being provided with a pulley 40 driven by a belt from asuitable source of power. Within the said tank B, at a suitable distanceabove the said bottom is is an adjustably supported table y, its topperforated with a number of holes. The said table y is adjustably'inclined in the direction of its length, and carries at its upper end,journaled at each end, a roll t which is provided with sprocket-wheelsat each end, each of the said sprocketi wheels being peripherallyinclosed by a sprocketchain 0 each of which also incloses othersprocketwheels. Both of the last mentioned sprocket-wheels are mountedon, and secured to a shaft 93 that is journaled in bearings secured toan adjustable part 50 of the frame of the machine, whereby this end ofthe said table y may be raised or lowered, and thereby inclined more orless, as desired. The lower end of the said tabley is provided with tworolls, 'r, 5, whose ends are pivoted in surfacesof the rolls t and r areon a line with. the top surface of the said table y, While the roll 8 isplaced a suitable distance below the said roll? to serve to support theapron a for the purpose presently set forth. The lower end of the tabley is supported at the desired position by means of a downwardlyprojecting bracket at each side, near the end, of the said table y, thelower extremity of each of said bracket being cut away in such a way asto rest upon the extreme upper ends of the partition-dam d. Thisconstruction permits the adjustable end of the table y to be raised orlowered without detrimental change of position of the lower end of saidtable y. The table y is longitudinally and upwardly curved and coveredby a moving endless apron a, which covering the perforations in thetable y and returning beneath the said table 1 over the roll s. The saidapron a is made sufficiently long to carry supported thereby. aweight-roll w which keeps the said apron a taut, and by the tension soproduced begets enough friction on the driven roll L to cause it totravel at a speed commensurate with that of the said roll t. The upwardcurvature of the table y serves to maintain an equable pressure of thesaid apron a upon theupper surface of the said table y at all partsalike.

Superimposed above the table y, and adjustably supported by the frame ofthe machine is a chute m, the oflice of which is to convey thepreviously sized pulverulent ore from the feed hopper h to near thelower end of the table y, and in order to facilitate the descent of saidore a longitudinally perforated spray-pipe p is provided, the saidspraypipe being disposed transversely to the length of the chute m,whose top may consist of an amalgamated plate for catching and retaining any particles of gold, if any, that may be in condition foramalgamation. The lowerpart of the said tank is subdivided transverselyby a partition or dam d placed immediately below a narrow, transverseslit in the bottom k of said tank. The said slit is fitted with a longvalve 2) of equal length with that of the said slit which opens into atransversely placed tube carrying within a worm-conveyer 0, whose shaftprojects through a stuffing-box, the projecting end of the said shaftbeing provided with a crank for rotating the said brackets projectingfrom the said table y. The upper is made to travel in the direction ofthe arrows l, 2, 3, 4,

worm-conveyor 0. The valve '1) is operated by means of links connectingit to cranks q, to which the said links are pivoted, the said cranksbeing mounted on and secured to a small shalt, one end of which projectsthrough a stufling-box in the side of the tank and the projecting end ofthe shaft provided with a lever for operating the said valve 1) from theoutside of the said tank.

At the upper end of the table y, and resting on the roll t is the freeedge of a clack valve 1', extending from side to side of the tank,hinged at its other edge to vertically adjustable straps adjustablysecured to the shallow end of the tank in such a manner that when theadjustable end of the table y is raised or lowered, the said valve llmay be also adjusted to suit. This valve '5 is provided with anauxiliary valve 0 of large openings, that shown being known asorganvalve consisting of a row of holes covered by one long strapsecured at each end. Another valve 21., is secured by its lower edge tothe upper edge of the partition dam d. The said valve to is of flexiblematerial, its upper edge resting against the roll s and transverselyfilling the entire distance between the downwardly projecting brackets,one on each side of the lower end of the table y. I

The purpose of the valves 6, 2', and the valve u is as follows:By the upand down movements of the diaphragm bottom 7c of the tank the containedwater in the said tank is made to pulsate', causing the apron a tovibrate synchronously therewith, because of the perforations in thetable y permitting regurgitation of the water therethrough, but the saidapron a possessing tension by the means herein-before described causes,during the upward movement of the said bottom is, an increase ofpressure of that portion oithe water that is confined between the valves0, i, and u and the said apron a, the valve 14 closing, the valve 6, 1.opening, while the downward movement of the said bottom 7c causes amomentary ingress of water by the valve u, the valvee, 2' closing, therapid succession of up and down movements of the bottom 7c, inconjunction with the said valves 0, i, and u, acting in the nature of adiaphragm pump, and causing a circulation of water above and below thetable y in the direction of the arrows 6, 7, 8, 9.

In operation the previously pulverized ore or sand is placed in thehopper h, from which, through a slit in the bottom the finely dividedmaterial passes on to the chute m, and, by means of a spray of waterfrom the spray-pipe p, is made to descend the incline of the said chutem to the lower part of the table y, and falling on the slowly upwardlymoving apron a becomes stratified by the pulsations of the surroundingwater, the heavier parts of the ore or sand settling to the apron a andbeing carried upward and away from the superincumbent barren materialwhich, assisted by the gentle movement of the water in the direction ofthe arrows 6, 7, 8, 9, falls in a steady flow over the lower roll r intoan ordinary elevator well-pocket from which, by means of a bracketelevator, or other suitable means the tailings are removed. Theconcentrates are gradually and constantly carried on the apron a up overthe roll t and dropped upon the inclined floor or bottom k, which by itsconstant vibration causes the said concentrates to slide down to thepartition dam d from which point, by opening the valve 1), they willfall into the worm conveyor 0 and be removed from time to time byrotating the said worm conveyor-0.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a device forseparating materials, the combination of a tank adapted to containwater, a longitudinally inclined perforated table therein, an endlessapron traversing said table, sufficiently wide to cover the perforationsthereof, and means for intermittently pulsating water in said tank,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an ore and sand separating device, the combination of a tankadapted to contain water, and provided with a flexible bottom connectedwith suitable actuating apparatus for causing said bottom to rapidlyvibrate and produce corresponding pulsations of the water within thesaid tank, which also contains a suitably supported perforatcd tablelongitudinally inclined and upwardly curved, and traversed by an endlessapron of sufficient width to cover the said perforations, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a device for concentrating pulverized ores and sand, thecombination of a tank adapted to contain water; a perforated tabletherein, rolls at each end of the table, power connections for drivingone of said rolls, an endless apron longitudnially inclosing said tableand rolls, means for vertically adjusting one end of said table; saidtank being provided with a flexible bottom and toggle mecl1anism forvertically vibrating said bottom, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

1-. In a machine for separating minerals, the combination of a tankadapted to contain water, an upwardly curved table therein; rolls ateach end on the table, an endless apron longitudinally enveloping saidtable and rolls; a dam transversely dividing said tank into twocompartments; one end of said table resting on the said dam, the otherend of the table supported by means admitting of vertical adjustment;one of said rolls driven by suitable power connections, substantially ashereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof, I al'lix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

FREDERICK A. WISWELL.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. Ban

FRANK H. CLARK.

